the days are warm here. our windows are always open and the fans are always blowing. we make
lemonade from our very own lemon tree. we cook only at night after the sun is gone and
coolness sets in. we are barefoot almost all day.
we play in the park. we catch lizards and stand in the shade of trees. we hum along to the
distant music of ice cream trucks. we watch the friday night fireworks over dodger stadium.
small birds fluff themselves over an old pie pan filled with water in our yard.
whatever the calendar has to say, we've known summer is already here.
pumpkins! costumes! princesses! superheroes! monsters! creepy! children! creepy children!
ah! they're at my door! what do they want?! they're pointing at my bowl full of reese's!
NO KIDS, THOSE ARE ALL MINE!!!
****
macabre food art to adore - cuddly rigor mortis art series by kristin tercek
{click the link for tons of more awesomeness like these}:
{clockwise from top left: no s'more, that boy sure does love his butter, sweet lobotomy, happy birthday, pimento mori, citruside}
or a list of movies perfect for watching on halloween night... with the lights off of course,
since you've decided the giant bowl of chocolate your husband bought should be for you, not the neighborhood kids: psycho, edward scissorhands, ghostbusters, silence of the lambs, beetlejuice, coraline, the shining, shutter island, any mystery theatre 3000 movie, rocky horror picture show, or the goonies {because when is the goonies not appropriate?}.
****
as for me?
well, last year we had a few friends over for pumpkin carving and a beheading {you know, the usual}. this year, however, i think we're laying low. and by that i mean, the mister and i will probably engage in an epic battle of strength and will over the fate of our giant bag of reese's. "oh husband darling,... climb aboard the murder train!"
what's beautiful, has emotional depth, and is packed full of talent? if you answered "ryan gosling" then you are correct! but more than just ryan gosling, it's ryan gosling's two-man + children's choir band* that i'm talking about - dead man's bones.
it's a great mixture of eeriness, beauty, and fun.
i've been listening to them nonstop, especially late at night whilst reading my spooky books.
here, have a listen:
what a deep, dreamy voice. sigh...
you should also check out their band website.
it's pretty awesome!
* those kids you hear are local neighborhood kids from here in silverlake. the choir is a part of the silverlake music conservatory, a non-profit started by flea {of red hot chili peppers} to provide musical experiences to kids who otherwise wouldn't be exposed to such opportunities. lots of local musicians from the neighborhood get involved, including mr. gosling. i wonder if 29 is too old to join the children's choir...
truth be told, it has been tough to get back in the swing of things after our getaway. it was just so awesome to relax and explore and not work even a little bit. but i have a full weekend of therapy to do starting today, so i'll be diving back into life full force. to give honor to the past couple weeks of
vacation, i've been sitting with a great sense of gratitude.
here's what i'm thankful for:
beginning our week deep in the woods above santa cruz, supporting some friends as they made life-long commitments to each other. one of my dream wedding ideas was to rent a camp and spend an entire weekend with our loved ones doing all sorts of fun wedding events out in nature. that didn't work out for us, but it was precisely what our friends did. it was beautiful! every moment was overflowing with love, more than i've witnessed at most other weddings. leave it to two creative writing majors to make you laugh and cry,
through vows and toasts and goodbyes. sigh...
{btw, those fabulous earrings were a birthday gift from brandi, from the shop branchbound.}
this nutella sandwich cookie recipe. i tried for days to experiment with cookies, but made multiple batches of substances to which even dogs would reply "um... no thanks." i just found this nutella cookie recipe though and i'm hoping to redeem myself. when i told the mister of my plan he replied "more cookies?!
i am completely fine with that." fingers crossed!
and a few other things...
sleeping in late, reading in bed, and new magazine day.
a clean house, freshly folded laundry, and a record on the record player.
daydreaming about the future, epiphanies when you least expect them, and deep conversations about life.
and all the great new music out there {feist, st. vincent, gotye, beirut, zee avi - so much!}.
this weekend is the eagle rock music festival. sadly, i have to work and won't be able to go. blerg! i have such fun memories from last year. we had literally just arrived home from our honeymoon in thailand. we were exhausted but decided to head back out for the awesome free concerts and it was quite the crazy night!
if you're an eastsider, go enjoy the festival for me will you?
have a great weekend everyone!
goodbye september and hello october!
life has been hard lately. exhaustion, end of life for dear loved ones, mounting stress catching up with us. it seems that this sort of experience always comes at the end of the summer season, doesn't it? it's as if the whole northern hemisphere is dying, ending, preparing for a long season of rest before change comes in the spring.
in many ways this aspect of the changing seasons can be incredibly beautiful. we can use it as an opportunity to reflect on things in our own lives, seeing where we would be better off if we let certain things go. in the big picture, i think it's a healthy, natural part of life. still, it's important that we take care of ourselves during this time of universal melancholy.
life can be big and hard, so how do you soothe your soul? one of my favorite projects to do with clients in therapy is to create a self-soothing kit. we brainstorm all of the things that the client finds incredibly fulfilling, whether it's relieving stress, recharging the spirit, or wrapping the person up in a proverbial blanket of emotional warmth. it can be anything really, so long as it's meaningful to that person. after brainstorming, they build their kit, placing in a box or bag everything from their list. whenever they need a break from the world, they give themselves permission to spend an hour {or whatever time they choose} with their self-soothing kit, allowing no distractions to invade this sacred time {that means turning off cell phones, communicating with others about their unavailability, and finding a quiet spot}.
i can't tell you how powerful this can be in times of stress, sadness, or overwhelming feelings. i like to think of it as another form of meditation, in that you're taking the time out of your busy life to care for your true self.
if you would like to create a self-soothing kit of your own...
here are some suggestions to get you started
{i find it's easier to brainstorm if you break your list down into the different senses}:
do: journal, sketchbook, pens, paints, coloring books, markers, jewelry making supplies,
other DIY project supplies, skirt for twirling in, recipes for baking
see: magazines, books, compilation of favorite quotes or spiritual passages, funny comics, art, photos
hear: sound machine, musical instruments, a mix cd, or list of playlists stored
online or an ipod. to get you started, i included one of my favorite self-soothing playlists here:
what would you put in your kit?
{all photos found on the fantastic tumblr page le petit bijou}
it's no surprise {if you've spent any amount of time on my blog that is} that i'm a massive music-lover. oh no, sorry, i don't think i said that right. what i meant to say was, i must have music playing at all times if i am to get anything done, remain a happy person, and not pass out on the floor in a melodramatic fashion.
now when i'm at home, i have my grooveshark playlists, wonderground radio, and eclectic 24 to keep me company at my computer, but i'm in a whole world of trouble in the car. i'm not sure if you're aware of this, but it's really hard to find a happy radio station outside of the interweb. this has always troubled me, especially now that i live in LA, a city full of frustrated drivers who could use a positive influence.
{having fun at kusc}
ever since high school i was surrounded by radio hosts. several of my best friends {holler brian!} worked at our local classical music station and i would spend countless hours in the booth, even working the buttons after the boss went home {shhh! don't tell}. so i suppose it's somewhere in my blood to have a strong desire to start my own radio station. only i want mine to be one that is ridiculously happy and fun... a radio station that takes the airwaves on a trip to the petting zoo, buys it an ice cream cone, and plays hopscotch with it. sadly i don't have a real life radio station {and am not likely to have one at any point in the near future},
but what i do have is this blog and an extremely active imagination.
so step on up folks and push play. delight your ears with the sounds of my pretend real life happy radio station! a station that reads uplifting quotes instead of commercials and reports only good news stories {this just in, a little girl in oregon has been happily reunited with her lost puppy!}.
{check out that handsome man on the far left. recognize that vest?}
they're still an emerging band so they only have a couple finished songs recorded,
but they are extremely talented! and i'm not just saying that because my husband is the
violinist {and helped write out the string parts might i add}. after all those nights practicing and writing music, i was floored to hear the results. here, have a listen to these two songs:
amazing right?!
i'm so proud and i can't wait till they have their full album to share.
they just started a kickstarter page for those of you who want to pitch in a buck or two. all the proceeds will go to the making of their record as well as travel costs for playing at SXSW next year. {by the way, you should check out the prize for donating $500. it's pretty awesome, and they already have a backer for it. although i have a feeling they're going to be writing a song for one of their moms.}
it started with discovering this sweet shop, upper metal class, at the renegade craft fair.
it's full of the most amazing, delicate, and feminine jewelry.
i'm so in love!
{dear husband, if you're reading this, might i suggest something here as a 1 year anniversary gift? these are all far cheaper than the last piece of jewelry you gave me to symbolize our love.}
****
then last night i watched the super sweet movie "ceremony."
it's so well done and really shows the beauty that comes with growing up.
i absolutely loved it.
****
i've also been filling the house with the sweet tunes of this playlist
{some lovely favorite songs of the moment}:
and while we're on the topic of awesome, i discovered the most awesomest band last week! they're called socks and chimes and both play the ukulele and live in LA and are totally adorable and make the most fun music!
they're also a brand new band so their music is kind of hard to find, but i've borrowed a couple songs from their website for your listening pleasure:
* paychecks. seriously, how fun is it to get paid to do stuff?
* watching 3 baby phoebes learn to fly in our yard {bah! they're so cute!}.
* snagging an awesome dress at h&m for the low low price of $12!
* this song {see music player}. do you have to clean cat vomit out of the rug? are you in the midst of a massive fight with your partner? or maybe trying to figure out how exactly to squeeze into your skinny jeans which are clearly now 3 sizes too small? do yourself a favor, and press play below before carrying on. i guarantee everything will seem far more manageable in life. "but kim, is there any situation when this song wouldn't be helpful?" i'm glad you asked, the answer is no. it is always helpful. you are welcome:
* discovering short house {thanks to danni from oh, hello friend}. it's street style for all of us shorties!
{and just so you know, randy newman was a terrible person. short people rock!}
* you, yes YOU! you guys totally make each and every one of my days. you are all so
helpful, encouraging, and hi-larious! thanks dear readers.
* if all goes according to plan, i'm going to hang at the beach tomorrow for the first time this summer! yay!!
it's time to get to know each other a little better.
last week i won the best blogger award from torie and eleanor {thanks sweet ladies!!}.
you guys know the drill...
this me:
and these are 7 random facts about me:
1. i'm only 5 ft tall, which i love, and look 10 years younger than i am, which i HATE {yes, i am an adult!!}.
2. i am often completely ridiculous.
3. for most people air is the most necessary thing that keeps them alive, for me it's music.
4. i tend to get obsessed with a new thing each week, then promptly move on to something else come the following week.
5. i love studying world religions, although i do not belong to any of them.
6. i don't really fit in anywhere, and that's exactly how i like it.
7. i firmly believe that the world would be a better place if we all decided to challenge our own thinking.
and now, i hereby pass this award on to all of you!
no seriously. i've grown my little numbers on this blog by whole heaps, but i don't know all of you very well. so share some facts with me! i would love to get to know you,... getting to know all about yooouuu!
speaking of obsessions {no. 4}, this week i am completely obsessed with zee avi!!
she is a fabulous singer/songwriter from malaysia and i completely fell head over heels in love with her music. her tunes are just the sweetest, her voice is smooth like buttah, and she plays many of her songs on the ukulele! oh yes, definitely my kind of gal.
i recommend cleaning your house, putting on a cute dress, and getting real comfortable like, maybe with a glass of wine and a loved one? then pressing play below. and if it lures you to dance barefoot in your living room, all the better!
a few years ago dannon and i heard an npr special late one night when we were working on an art project. it was the perfect mix of soul, bluegrass, and indie, all played on the cello! we were amazed and instantly in love with ben sollee's music. a few months later, ben came to san francisco to do a show at a small theatre by my house, so we went and hung out with him for a bit after. he's the nicest guy in the world, incredibly humble, and a fantastic musician. not to mention he's a huge environmental activist, choosing to tour the entire country by bicycle... with his cello in tow. yup, amazing.
do you guys remember that imaginary art space i built here on my blog last week?
well i've decided to throw a concert with ben sollee, and all of you are invited.
so put your dancing shoes on and get ready to have a blast!
it's the end of another week! actually, with my odd-houred job, the end of my week is now saturday afternoons. this has taken a bit of getting used to since i grew up in a religion that kept saturday as the sabbath. even though i left that religion, i continued to keep that spiritual practice and it has been an interesting process to decide where i want to set my boundaries. as sad as i was to lose my day devoted to loved ones and self-reflection, i'm thankful it happened because it helped me figure out what is most important to me {i'm not planning on working saturdays much longer}.
here are some other things i'm thankful for:
* serendipitously discovering a pretty bridge {the shakespeare bridge} tucked away in our neighborhood.
* everything working out perfectly with an event which i was totally anxious about.
* clearing out some stuff from our home {de-cluttering feels so good}.
* discovering this very cool and very helpful writing tool.
* that i found a job which pays me {i have to remember this is a good thing, even though it's not in my field}.
* that the mr.'s car was safe whilst parked out of sight on another street, and is now back outside our house {there are a lot of car jackings in our neighborhood}.
* the sun coming out to play during our june gloom.
* finding this super cute dress at ruche, a perfect purchase with the last of my gift card money.
and here are some things which i'm looking forward to over the next week:
* getting to know my work program well enough to stop practicing every day.
* having the mister come home.
* the romantic date we're planning which will involve this film.
* hanging out with brandi one last time before she moves to NY {sniff!}.
* the free pasadena music festival {i love free! especially with great bands like these.}
and now i shall leave you with this ridiculously cheerful playlist to enjoy over the weekend.
happy friday!
as i'm sure you can imagine, a large part of that was due to our concert with joe gil at the hotel cafe.
everything went fine and it was fun to see so many friends {and even some family} there supporting us.
i couldn't hear any of us very well {the sound guy was less than stellar}, but i had oh so much fun singing up on stage again. i really do miss that, and the passion within me to perform has definitely been reignited.
look out world!
{mr. joe gil}
{me + dannon}
a few other fun musical things from my weekend...
running into sia at intelligentsia {one of my favorite artists & activists},
learning to play "the cowboy song" on the ukulele {from joe vs. the volcano},
getting to hang out with the incredibly sweet guys from the daylights, and experience the awesomeness/beauty that is their concert! seriously, if you get a chance to see the daylights, DO IT.
{these photos were taken by one of dannon's friends, notes from vivace. aren't they amazing?}
all in all, it was a pretty great weekend! i'm really excited about this week too because i'll be working on a couple awesome projects {more to come on that soon}. we'll also be ending the week on a high note, at the silver lake jubilee, a two-day arts festival that some friends of ours started. there will be a bunch of great bands, comedians, poets, and artists. you can be sure to find me at the lady danville & the little ones shows
{if you've followed me for a looong time, you may remember me featuring the little ones here.}
come join us if you can!
i also made a playlist for an extra boost in inspiration and motivation this week,
which i hope may be of assistance to you too:
have you heard the amazing collaboration of thao nguyen {of thao with the get down stay down} and mirah?
i am completely in love with both of these girls on their own, so when i heard they had come together to form the most awesome musical union i was squeeling like a school girl.
i have such special memories with mirah's music. i first discovered her 6 years ago, during my first few months living in san francisco. i was fresh out of college, had just sold everything i owned to fly clear across the country, and didn't know a soul. i moved into a room in a house on treasure island where i met one of my favorite people ever, the coolest girl in the world, my friend kristle. she was a fashion designer who created amazing robot art and listened to a whole lot of mirah. over the years of being friends, mirah was often the soundtrack to our lives. eventually we finally got to one of her concerts at bottom of the hill, a super small venue, where the musicians always end up feeling like your friends. and let me tell you, mirah is one adorable lady!
so now, every time i hear mirah i think of kristle and all of our CRAZY adventures {and you can be sure there were plenty}. and of course, thao is a san francisco girl, so her music always makes me think of the city. yup, lots of sweet memories & love wrapped up in this music, and listening to their collaborative album transfers me back to all those great times. {and kristle, if you're reading this, i miss you!!!}
here's a little mix with some favorites from the collaboration of thao + mirah, plus a fewfrom each of their solo works.
1. eleven - thao + mirah
2. little cup - thao + mirah
3. teeth - thao + mirah
4. how dare you - thao + mirah
5. squareneck - thao + mirah
6. cool yourself - thao with the get down stay down
7. know better learn faster - thao with the get down stay down
8. when we swam - thao with the get down stay down
9. engine heart - mirah
10. recommendation - mirah
11. jerusalem - mirah
12. mt. st. helens - mirah
***
speaking of music...
if you will be in the LA area this saturday night, may 14, head over to the hotel cafe to hear joe gil, backed by the mister and yours truly! come early to hear deana carter {of "strawberry wine" fame}, or stay after to hear the daylights, but make sure to come say hi.
if you follow me on twitter, you probably already know about this, but i can officially tell
the world now that i am part of a band! i get to dive into music again and sing with a very talented singer/songwriter... in front of real live people! at the hotel cafe in hollywood!
bonus - the music is truly absolutely beautiful.
this singer/songwriter that i'm talking about is joe gil. he's an up and coming musician, having just had one of his songs picked up by mtv, so he's beginning to get a bit more exposure. his music is just lovely and perfect for long drives through the country or nights in reminiscing with old photos. you can hear all of his songs by clicking on his name above, which i highly recommend. i have also added one of my favorites
of his here for your listening pleasure:
{i know, it's so amazing right?!}
we met joe at a friend's concert only to discover we have several friends in common from back east. the mister began playing violin for joe right away and recommended me as a singer, so last night i finally got to meet up for practice and gave it a go. things went smashingly and i am so excited to be doing music
again, especially with joe {he has such an amazing voice!}.
if you are in/around LA on saturday, may 14, stop on by the hotel cafe to hear joe gil
{as well as dannon and yours truly}. it's going to be a phenomenal show.
so friday we drove over to the ship yards of san pedro and wandered around the docks for a bit before making our way into the giant parking lot... er,... concert venue.
since we were there early, we found a spot right up front. this was fine for the first two acts - not too crowded, fun people surrounding us, plenty of room to dance - but come mumford & sons and we found ourselves packed in like a japanese commuter train. after a few songs up close {with dreamy stairs at the
keyboardist - swoon!}, we made our way farther back where we
could once again dance the concert away!
{*}
all the bands were completely amazing. we had heard old crow medicine show and edward sharpe in concert before, and once again they did not disappoint with a foot-stomping good time! but mumford & sons completely blew them all away. they were just perfect, and all of that big soul-thrilling sound they
produce on records was infinitely more amazing live.
the best part was probably at the very end, when everyone from all of the bands came out and
performed the encore together - woody guthrie's "this train is bound for glory."
it was epic!
{*}
today they are in new orleans for their final show of the tour.
can you imagine being on this train? non stop jamming with all sorts of amazing musicians.
what a dream!!
{**}
i was a no good, very bad blogger and didn't take any pictures. actually that's not true, we
took a couple photos but they were just a few colored blurs amongst a whole lot of black,
so i had to borrow photos from those who are much better at photography than me:
* these photos were borrowed from the railroad revival tour flickr photos.
** these photos were borrowed from the railroad revival tour travel diary.
you definitely need to catch a show if you get the chance to see any of these bands!
thank you SO so much everyone, for sharing all the good news yesterday!
it's kind of funny, but i was having an absolutely terrible day, full of frustrations and depressing events. life can be such a struggle sometimes right? luckily i had a blog post full of your amazing positivity to remind me that even though life can be really hard, it's not hard forever. so truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for doing a good deed this week through your sharing!
the rest of this week will be devoted to my job hunt.
i have my camouflage makeup on, my spear has been sharpened, and i'm ready to get out there in the wild. actually, i was really hoping that my job hunt would be more like a lion chasing a gazelle - action packed, fast moving, take a big leap and acquire the target! but unfortunately, i'm finding it's more like dear hunting - be really really really ridiculously patient as you wait for a super long time before you even catch a glimpse of your prey. oy! still, i have my stuart smalley daily affirmations, a fellow job hunting friend with whom i can search, and a whole lot of determination.
i'm also finding ways to fill my life with excitement in the meantime. i think it's vital to have things which you can look forward to when you're dealing with struggles in life. this week, i'm super excited about a concert happening thursday evening. a friend of ours, aaron roche, will be doing a free show {that's right, free!} at origami vinyl at 6p. if you live anywhere nearby you should totally stop in! i'll be there and i'd love to say hello.
plus, my friend is really amazingly good!
i found some of his older music on grooveshark to share {his concert will be showcasing new stuff though, from his latest album}. his music is simply gorgeous and i think it's perfect for those reflective, rainy days that come just before a change. you know that feeling? i think it's a good sign.
whatever you're dealing with right now, don't give up! you can do it! and in the end, the struggle will have only made you stronger. have a happy tuesday everyone!
last weekend was the film portion of sxsw and the music portion is happening RIGHT NOW!
[gasp!]
oh how i wish i could have gone to it all! but alas, i am stuck in LA.
[big dramatic pause, hand to forehead for effect]
so to make myself feel better,
[regroup, smooth out skirt]
i've decided to throw my own music festival right here on my blog.
so grab your dancing shoes and join me if you'd like!
you can throw on your sunglasses and pretend you're dancing in a crowd full of tattooed hipster types,...
...without a care in the world!
or maybe you're sitting in the grass, sipping pbr and chowing down a vegan corn dog on a stick {or are those only at california music festivals?}.
whatever the case, you should totally rock out to this fun playlist i whipped up for the occasion.
{some of these bands are at sxsw this weekend, and some are just favs of mine.}
and to simulate the actual concert experience, i recommend
turning the volume up real loud like!
